Exploring planets is one of the least stressful things players can do in Starfield. However, depending on where the Constellation crew lands, this statement could get turned on its head very quickly.
Not all planets in Starfield are habitable. While some are completely devoid of life, others make exploration harder by having climate conditions so brutal that simply walking on the surface is a health hazard. Luckily, spacesuits are lined with countermeasures against harsh environments, but this Suit Protection feature isn't explained all too well anywhere in the game.
What is Suit Protection in Starfield?
Suit Protection dictates how well a spacesuit can resist a planet's climate. In-game, this is represented by the values below a suit's Physical, Energy, and EM resistances. The numbers shown here reflect how well a suit can protect players against extreme temperatures, airborne contaminants, radiation, and corrosive atmospheres.
When players step outside their ship and onto a planet's surface, their watch (shown on the lower left) will alert them of any extreme conditions affecting them. Any adverse effect will be reflected as a colored circle on the watch, and players can know more about what's affecting them by checking their Character Status screen. Suit Protection appears to deteriorate over time.
Taking damage while a suit's protection is depleted will temporarily reduce the player's max health for as long as they remain within hazardous environments. To make matters worse, exploring without any active suit protection increases the chances of contracting an affliction, which will inflict even more debuffs on the player.
To regain Suit Protection, players must enter a sealed structure, such as their ship or outposts with airlocks. This will remove the hazardous environment warning and allow spacesuits to recover their lost protection. If players had their max health reduced due to extreme climates, all they have to do is wait until the yellow health blocker in their HP bar disappears completely. However, if they lose any max HP due to afflictions, then they'll need to cure themselves by using the right aid items.
It's worth noting that spacesuits aren't the only items that have environmental protection values. Apparel and booster packs also have these, and they contribute to the player's total environmental resistance. Higher total values mean players can explore hostile planets for longer without having to worry about catching any afflictions. They will still need to rest in sealed environments, however, as suit protection is always limited.
Starfield is available now on PC and Xbox Series X/S.